Tag Archives: lauryn hill

November 18, 2013 · 3:35 pm

FloydFest Releases Initial 2014 Line-up

logo-floydfest13As a special pre-holiday treat, FloydFest organizers have released the initial 2014 festival line-up to the public, which looks absolutely amazing–see for yourself below.  Though not first on the list, my eyes immediately gravitated towards the words MS. LAURYN HILL.  I’ve been waiting for this lovely soulful songstress to return to the festival circuit for a long time.  It will be great to see her grace the FloydFest 13 stage!

In addition to a stellar initial line-up, the 2014 FloydFest celebration will now be FIVE FULL DAYS!  Music and festivities are slated to begin mid-day on Wednesday, July 23rd and continue through Sunday evening, July 27th.  Five-day multiday tickets will be available for purchase.

The theme for next year’s festival is FloydFest 13 – Revolutionary. FloydFest’s Facebook page has already been blowing up with “revolutionary” posts from excited fans.  Their page will feature “Weekly Revolution” entries to keep fans engaged and the excitement growing.  This week’s “Weekly Revolution” reads as follows:

Every day is a Revolution.. a literal circle around the sun, and as well an opportunity for reinvention, discovery, action, awareness, appreciation–the individual ingredients that together, over time, combine, combust and spark positive revolution…We find music festivals Revolutionary. The past decade has seen a resurgence of the outdoor music festival nearly to the point of “mainstreaming,” taking both perception and experience well beyond the stereotypical “Woodstock” experience. We find it Revolutionary that the outdoor music festival has become the preferred live music experience, and we bear firsthand witness to resulting effects of contagious positivity.

Also, in line with its ‘Revolutionary’ theme, FloydFest has established some new changes to this year’s festival based on the recommendations of fans and festival-goers from previous years.  Capacity for the event will be cut by 1300 multi-day tickets, a move geared to embrace and sustain FloydFest’s status as a boutique music festival that sells out each year well in advance of gates opening.

Tickets are on sale now, so be sure to snag yours early as this festival is sure to sell out quickly.  The 2014 FloydFest line-up will include:

Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite ~ Ms. Lauryn Hill ~ Ray LaMontagne ~ Thievery Corporation (Full Band) ~ Ziggy Marley ~ Michael Franti & Spearhead ~ Buddy Guy ~ Robert Randolph & the Family Band ~ Lettuce  ~ JJ Grey & Mofro ~ Conspirator ~ Donna the Buffalo ~ The Duhks ~ Campbell Brothers ~ The Lee Boys ~ Hackensaw Boys ~ The London Souls ~ Jonathan Boogie Long ~The Deadmen ~ 2013 On the Rise Winner: Paper Bird ~ 2013 On the Rise Winner Runner Up: Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands ~ Tauk ~ Dirty Drummer ~ and many, many more TBA.

 For more information visit www.floydfest.com, contact Mandy Gresham at mandy@darbycommunications.com or call 1-888-VA-FESTS.

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June 18, 2013 · 3:29 pm

Kickstarter to Watch – Rebekah Todd

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No matter how you feel about it, listener-supported music is here to stay.  Gone are the days of scraping pennies together to record and master an album in your mom’s basement.  Thanks to social media and websites like Kickstarter and PledgeMusic, independent musicians can call on their fans from across the globe to lend a hand in the recording process–at least the financial side of things.

For many fans, this new forum provides an affordable conduit to “back” a musician or band that they really love.  In return for their donations, fans  not only get to feel more connected to the music, but also typically receive some sweet personalized merchandise or experience from the musicians/bands.  From signed lyric sheets to house concerts, musicians have a chance to get really creative with the lists of “prizes” for their backers.  But here’s the kicker (no pun intended): If the project’s goal is not 100% met, backers get back their money and the musician gets nothing.  It’s all or nothing, folks!

As a fan who backs projects from time to time, there is something rewarding in making a contribution and following the progress of a campaign.  Checking-in to see how much money has been raised and what prizes have been snatched up, along with receiving updates from the musicians themselves, can really be fun.  Recently, I pledged $50 to Scott Miller and The Commonwealth’s new album, and was happy to learn that they have surpassed their goal, and I will be one of the first (among the other 334 pledgers) to hear the album once it is completed.

Currently, I am following Rebekah Todd’s Kickstarter campaign.  Rebekah is gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist out of eastern NC who is gearing up to record her first LP at the end of July.   I interviewed Rebekah last year, and learned all about her musical influences, which range from Susan Tedeschi to Lauryn Hill.  Her music is dripping with a muggy southern soul that speaks to the trials and tribulations of life, death, love, heartbreak, and everything in between.  There is an historic air in her songwriting that pays tribute to those who walked before her, as if perhaps she was born in the wrong century or recalling experiences from a past life.  From her 2011 EP, “Forget Me Not“, Rebekah’s songwriting and performing has evolved, and she’s found a keen balance between the ghosts that haunt her and guardian angels that protect her.  Her music–her voice–reaches into your heart and makes you feel not only her own joy and pain, but your own, as well.

For me, that is what music is about, and why I believe that Rebekah’s Kickstarter is one to watch.  Take a listen to her story, consider backing her project, and share with your friends.

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